Man dies after falling through gap in scaffold

Joseph Keith

A man died after falling through a gap in the scaffold he was working on, an investigation has found.

Walter Booth, trading as WB Roofing, was carrying out repairs to the roof of Micklegate Methodist Church, Pontefract, in January.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the scaffolding edge protection provided by Wayne Morgan, trading as Barnsdale Scaffolding, “failed to follow the profile of the roof edge leaving a gap”.

Mr Booth, 63, fell through the gap and died.

Sarah Lee, a HSE inspector, said on Tuesday, November 24: “This was an entirely preventable death. In this case the scaffolding edge protection was not sufficient to prevent a person falling from the roof.

“The scaffold installation should have been erected correctly, follow the profile of the roof and have no large gaps.

“The standards for scaffold are well known and have been in place for many years.

“It is vital that scaffolders ensure that scaffold is erected as per the standards and it is checked after it is erected, to ensure that everything is in place.”

Morgan, of Barnsdale Estate, Cutsyke, Castleford, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8(a) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

He was sentenced to 200 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £15,000 in costs by Wakefield Magistrates Court.